Philanthropy
Making Nonprofit Collaboration a Foundation Strategy: The Lodestar Foundation
The Lodestar Foundation supports nonprofit collaborations, mergers, and other cooperative activities as a major strategy.
Tag: Grants
Podcast
Measurement & Evaluation
Good Measures Conference - Evaluation: New Ways of Working Together
How does an organization get through the evaluation process and live to tell about it? In this panel, part of the Stanford Social Innovation Review's conference on evaluation, funders and fundees on both sides of the table from a variety of organizations in the areas of education and social services talk about what it was like to be in the trenches of successful evaluation processes. They tease out common success factors, including how to work collaboratively across sectors and with multiple constituents.
Social Innovations
Money to Grow On
Certain nonprofits can take a page from business's playbook and learn how to attract cash for expansion.
Social Innovations
The Equity Capital Gap
For-profit businesses can efficiently and quickly raise large amounts of money to fund growth and innovation by tapping equity capital—money that people invest in a company in return for ownership and a share of profits. The nonprofit world has no corollary, making it difficult, costly, and time-consuming to raise money. In this article the author explores ways that nonprofits and funders can create their own version of equity capital, and, just as important, develop an equity approach to doing business.
Social Innovations
Taking Stock of Venture Philanthropy
In the early, heady days of the venture philanthropy movement, its proponents touted it as revolutionary, while critics said it was just old wine in new bottles. The experiences of the Center for Venture Philanthropy show that the truth lies somewhere in between: Venture philanthropy is no miracle cure, yet it can be particularly good at building strong organizations, knitting together new networks, and shrinking the power gap between funders and grantees.
Philanthropy
Review: Grassroots Philanthropy
Foundation grantmaking can become more responsive, intuitive, and effective.
Social Entrepreneurship
15 Minutes with Thomas Vander Ark
SSIR Managing Editor Eric Nee spoke with the X Prize Foundation’s president, Thomas Vander Ark, about how prizes can stimulate social innovation.
Foundations
The Power of Strategic Mission Investing
A growing number of foundations are offering low-interest loans, buying into green business ventures, and investing in other asset classes to advance their missions. To bring about real change, foundations need to make strategic mission investments that complement their grantmaking and leverage market forces.